Eating Korea

Upon arriving to Korea, I was frequently told that it was a carnivore’s paradise- not the first thing that you want to hear as a vegetarian. I’d just come from Europe, where I’d had a fairly easy dining experience, and I was a bit disheartened from the get-go. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the spectrum of flavors and choice of dishes since establishing myself here. Although it’s only been two months, I think I’ve gotten a taste of what Korea’s all about. Consensus: it’s not for sensitive or picky taste buds.

Korean Side Dishes: No matter what restaurant you go to in Korea, you’ll be presented with an array of side dishes as an appetizer. Typically, the spread will consist of pickled vegetables and various sauces. Be careful, as many of these sauces contain traces of fish.

Korean Appetizers

Kimchi Jeon: Korean flour-based pancake made with kimchi and onion, served with a side of soy sauce.

Kimchi Jeon (Korean pancake with kimchi)

Red Kiwi: A fruit that I’m accustomed to in a color that I’ve never seen.

Red Kiwis on Jeju Island

Ggaennip (sesame leaves): A green leaf that looks like a nettle (it’s not a nettle). It doesn’t have much taste, but it’s delicious as a wrap for basically anything.

Sesame leaf stuffed with….whatever you please.

Hotteok: A traditional Korean street food, these patties are essentially pancakes stuffed with sugar and nuts, then fried on a skillet.

Hotteok- typical sweet street food in Korea

Kimbap and Mandu: Kimbap is the Korean version of sushi. If you like seaweed, rice, and pickled vegetables, it’s the best and cheapest meal you’ve ever had ($1 per roll). Mandu is a Korean dumpling dish. Unfortunately, they typically come with beef or seafood, so make sure to request it without -“Go-gi up-shi ju-seyo, Hae-san-mal ju-seyo”.

Korean “Sushi” and Dumplings

Bibimbap: A super traditional Korean dish. Basically, you’re given a rice bowl and you fill it with whatever you want.

Bibimbap: Rice Bowl and Toppings

Persimmon: a gummy, slimy, messy fruit that I’d never heard of before coming to Korea. It exists elsewhere, but is pretty damn juicy in Korea.

Candied Strawberries: self-explanatory. Candied strawberries on a stick. I’ve never seen them on Jeju-do, but they were quite popular in Busan.

Candied Strawberries 딸기 사탕

Rice Cakes: Called tteok (떡) in Korean, this dish comes in literally hundreds of varieties. It’s the traditional sweet in Korea, eaten to celebrate or just as a snack. They’re made from rice flour, then steamed, and sometimes come with nuts and/or dried fruit inside. They aren’t sweet at all; rather, they “cakes” themselves are pretty bland and quite gummy. However, the additional ingredients, like red bean paste, add some subtle sweet notes. Definitely good for people who don’t care for overly-sweet desserts.

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13 Comments

Mmmm I love jjeon! And the fish are my favorite, there are about a gazillion stalls by my house and I can’t resist every time I walk by. I’m going to turn into a giant fish shaped waffle by the end of this winter. I’ve actually never seen those candied strawberries, though!

I absolutely love kimchi jeon. My boyfriend is vegetarian and he really struggles to eat Korean food (hating pickled/fermenting things also doesn’t help). Bibimbap is always his go-to. We are lucky that Ulsan has a large foreign population so we have lots of restaurant options to choose from.

I find it interesting that you don’t think sesame leaves have a strong flavor. Maybe it’s because you like it? I find them to be really strong and don’t care for them. It’s like a licoricey flavor.

Wow, I had no idea that there was so much delicious vegetarian food around in Korea! I lived in Taiwan for a year and the vegetarian/vegan food was really amazing. I’m really fond of red beans. Are there a lot of red bean cakes and things in Korea? Taiwan has red beans granary bread, a similar kind of red bean cake as the fishes you posted, red bean pancakes, red bean ice, red bean soup, and even red bean milk tea!

Hey! Yes, Korea is a haven for red bean everything. Most desserts are filled with either a sweet or savory red bean paste. It’s definitely an “acquired” taste- you either love it or hate it. Luckily, I love it ?

[…] Eating in Korea has been a struggle at times. Most things contain meat, even if the waitress claims that they don’t. Little bits of this and that find their way into everything, so I haven’t been eating out very much. However, a Korean friend took us out to an amazing restaurant (Seon Bi Muk Jib) in Jeju-si the other day, and I had a mind-blowingly fantastic Korean culinary experience. […]

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Hi I’m Leah

In 2012, I left the U.S. in search of adventure. This site allows me to share the stories and bites from along the way, and to offer a little inspiration for anyone who wants to be a “Yes” person. Welcome!